"Why ...?" vs. "Why is it that ... ?" - English Language & Usage Stack ...
Why not: I don't know why, but it seems to me Bob would sound a bit strange if he said, "Why is it that you have to get going?" Eliminating 'that' before 'Bob' would seem to be more in context …
"Why it is" vs "Why is it" - English Language & Usage Stack …
Nov 7, 2013 · The question: "Why is [etc.]" is a question form in English: Why is the sky blue? Why is it that children require so much attention? Why is it [or some thing] like that? When that …
What do we call the “rd” in “3ʳᵈ” and the “th” in “9ᵗʰ”?
Aug 23, 2014 · @WS2 In speech, very nearly always. In writing, much less so. I think what may be going on is that one just assumes that “June 1” is pronounced “June First”, or “4 July” as …
Why are the United States often referred to as America?
Nov 16, 2010 · Why would it be strange to shorten this? It is common to shorten the official name of a country — most people don't even know the official names for the various countries. For …
Origin of "Why, hello there" [duplicate] - English Language
a1616 Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona ɪɪɪ (1623) ɪ. i. 33 If hap'ly won, perhaps a haplesse gaine, If lost, why then a grieuous labour won. 1647 A. Cowley Request in Mistress …
How did the letter Z come to be associated with sleeping/snoring?
May 26, 2011 · See also Why Does ZZZ mean sleep? for another theory: The reason zzz came into being is that the comic strip artists just couldn’t represent sleeping with much. ... As the …
How does "pussy" come to mean "coward"?
The word pussy is often used to mean "coward". This guy is a pussy. and I am wondering why. How are woman's genitals related to being a "coward"?
Origin of fag (meaning a cigarette in British English)
Dec 1, 2015 · According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it comes from "fag", meaning a loose piece of cloth:. fag (n.1) Look up fag at Dictionary.com British slang for "cigarette" (originally, …
Reason for different pronunciations of "lieutenant"
Dec 6, 2014 · As to why present day usage is as it is: People can be contrary. It's possible the US adopted "Loo" because and only because the Brits said "Lef" -- or vice-versa. But it seems the …
etymology - What is the origin of the term ‘blue movie’? - English ...
Apr 10, 2023 · Conclusions. Treating all of G.L. Morrill's forays into the cinema of Marseilles as a single episode, we still have three instances in U.S. English of "blue movie" in the broad sense …